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Position Wanted – Asset Management
Will Work Remotely or Relocate for Right Opportunity

Each Week Leasing News is pleased, as a service to its readership, to offer completely free ads placed by candidates for jobs in the industry. These ads also can be accessed directly on the website at:

Companies are giving employees greater autonomy to work from home with the advent of flex time, technologies like VPNs (virtual private networks) and conference apps like Skype. But let’s face it, not everyone is cut out to work out of sight of their immediate supervisor. If you think that working from home will allow you more time to finish chores around the house during the day, working from home is not for you. Discipline and dedication to the job are essential qualities that you must possess to make it work.

I spent half of my sales and sales management career working from an in-home office. I was far more productive working from an in-home office than I ever was going in to an office building. The daily distractions of useless meetings and interruptions from people that have nothing better to do than to waste their day chatting did not exist when I was working from home.

Below are a handful of tips to help you get started on a successful career working out of an in-home office.

Dedicated office – It doesn’t matter whether it’s a spare bedroom, the basement or the room above the garage where you planned to put your in-laws when they retire, a separate space with a door, that can shut out noise and distractions is the single most important aspect of working from home. It’s crucial to have a comfortable space all to yourself. Trying to work from the kitchen table or living room sofa is the first step on the road to failure.

Get dressed – At the risk of sounding like your father when you were home between college semesters: Get up and get dressed! While working in a t-shirt and pajama bottoms might be comfortable, it doesn’t put you in a business mindset. You don’t have to go to the extreme of putting on a suit and tie each day, but a pair of pants, a shirt and a pair of socks would be nice.

Office furniture – While the card table and chairs from the neighbor’s yard sales worked as a kitchen table when you first got married, it will not suffice as a permanent office desk and chair. It’s important that you have a normal sized office desk with drawers and a comfortable desk chair. No, you don’t have to plunk down $2000 for a solid cherry desk set. If you live in a city of any size, chances are there is a used office furniture place in town. If not, a desk and office chair ordered online from Staples will set you back less than $300.

Technology – My first work from home technology package included a desk phone, 100MB desktop (that’s not a typo kids), fax machine and dot matrix printer (it was before they combined those two space age technologies). Oh, and let’s not forget the car phone. While laughable by today’s standards, it was cutting edge in 1989. Working from an in-home office today affords you all the technologies you would have working in a cube at HQ: laptops and tablets with VPNs, mobile phones, multifunctional printers and conferencing apps like Skype. It’s just like being at HQ without all the office gossip.

No interruptions please – To avoid the near constant interrupts that having a house full of kids or a roommate can present, I had ground rules when I was working from home. First and foremost, if my office door was closed, I was not to be interrupted unless the house was on fire or one of the kid’s/roommate’s head was stuck in the stair railing.

No TV – Like kids and roommates, distractions like having a TV in your office should be avoided. There’s a good reason the HQ cube farm isn’t outfitted like a sports bar.

No, I can’t watch the kids today or do a load of laundry – Did you pack the kids into your cubicle during a snow day when you were working at HQ? How about folding a load of towels while you were waiting for your 2:00 conference call? I don’t think so! Trying to take care of the kids or doing housework and getting a full day’s work done doesn’t add up to a job well done. You should dedicate a full day’s work, to doing work, not trying to fit it in between building Legos and the buzzer on the washing machine.

Get a PO Box – If you travel for your job and tend to receive overnight packages, but have no one to sign for them while you are away, the local UPS store is your answer. Get a post office box and use their address on your business card.

Leave the office on time – If you are a true disciple of the in-home office the biggest problem you will have is leaving the office, not staying in it. It’s easy to slip in there in the evening or too many hours on a Saturday morning. While this is one of the great advantages of working from home, it can also cause problems with your significant other. Take care to balance the hours spent inside your office with your life outside of it.

"He's been very active in ELFA and at one time held the office of Chairman. He is Chair of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation. He was the Co-Founder of First American Equipment Finance; the company was sold to City National Bank. Bill is a great industry professional."

As mentioned in my first "The Top Performer’s Corner" column*, I will be showcasing top performing Lease and Finance industry professionals. These industry professionals will share their career achievements, challenges and what it takes to retain their coveted titles of being considered Top Performers in their respective fields.

For this week's Top Performer, I had the pleasure of interviewing William (Bill) Verhelle a highly successful 25-year Leasing Industry veteran. Both academically and professionally Bill has achieved many accomplishments to be admired and respected.

In 1988, right after graduating from the University of Michigan, Bill had the opportunity to join Tokai Financial Services. During the 5-years with Tokai, he held the positions of Vice President and Division Manager. While working full-time at Tokai Bill, Bill completed his MBA program from UCLA Anderson School of Management. And in 1995, he received his JD from Cornell Law School.

The years with Tokai had a great impact on his career. Here is what he feels about those early career years at Tokai and how it created the foundation for him to be a strong, successful business leader.

"Early in my career, I had the opportunity to join Tokai Financial Services, a middle-market finance company that started inside a larger business by Don Campbell (CEO) and Steve Grosso (EVP). I recall how proud I felt to be a part of Tokai.” "I still feel proud today to have been a small part of that still great Company - now DLL."

"For a very young and inexperienced executive, there was great excitement to be part of a team at Tokai that was trying to change the world by building an innovative, new business. I have never forgotten the feeling."

"Several of my young peers at Tokai went on to run large commercial finance businesses; I don't think it is a coincidence." "Later in my career, I realized how fortunate we had all been to work for Don and Steve and others who really cared about developing the young people in the Company."

Bill feels it is critical for young professionals early in their careers to join companies with highly talented and skilled management teams who are willing to mentor and challenge them. Here are Bill’s views regarding this.

"As a young executive, it's a blessing to be given significant responsibility and to be held to high standards. It's a gift to work for people who provide candid and sometimes painful feedback as to how you can improve yourself."

"If young professionals aren't pushed and provided with constructive feedback, they can't develop or grow.” “I believe this is far more important than compensation or title for a high-potential young executive.” “Join an inspired, well-led team, working for people who you think will be hard on you - The money and title will follow."

After leaving Tokai, Bill and his partner, Guy Klingler, founded First American Equipment Finance (FAEF) in 1994. During the nearly 20-years Bill served as CEO, FAEF received numerous business recognitions. To mention just a few, Fortune Magazine recognized FAEF as one of the Top Twenty Financial Services Companies in the United States. Plus, FAEF was also listed eight times in Inc. Magazine's Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies in the U.S. In May 2012, City National Bank acquired FAEF; Bill stayed on as CEO till April 2015.

Here are Bill's thoughts and beliefs regarding building or creating an environment to succeed and prosper.

"At First American Equipment Finance, we tried to replicate the passion and a sense of purpose I learned from Don Campbell and Steve Grosso at Tokai." "Everyone wants to do something meaningful with their life." "Everyone wants to make a difference with the work they do in their career." "In a great company, it is possible for everyone to play a significant role in something meaningful."

Bill believes a team-based organization is more efficient, that it creates a culture that emboldens its employees with responsibility and provides them opportunities to grow professionally. He also believes layers of bureaucracy stifles creativity and create an environment of confusion that leaves employees wondering what matters.

After retiring from FAEF, Bill embarked on his, as he puts it, 3rd chapter in his career. In May of 2015, Bill founded Harvard Partners LLC, a new business to make investments in transformative new companies, and to explore ways for large firms to become more agile and innovative by hiring and empowering technology-savvy young professionals. Here are Bill's comments regarding his newest venture.

"As I make plans for my third and possibly final career experience, I am more excited than ever about the potential for young business professionals to change the world." "More than at any prior time in my lifetime, business people have the ability to innovate and change the world for the better." "We are fortunate to live in these times."

Bill, we thank you for sharing your business experiences, valuable business insights and advice. It's clear your love, passion, and expertise in building dynamic, positive work environments are some of the key reasons for your success. We wish you the best.

The Certified Lease & Finance Professional (CLFP) Foundation announced a record 25 individuals who sat through the 8-hour online CLFP exam during the month of May, have successfully passed. They were primarily from the Chicago Academy hosted by BMO Harris and ECS Financial. The next “Academy” is end of June in Concord, California (San Francisco Bay Area. Three seats left: http://www.clfpfoundation.org/event-2472477

Jason Seitz, CLFP, VP, BMO Harris Equipment, said, “I wanted to take the CLFP to set myself apart from others in the Industry. With the CFLP being the only certification in our industry, I couldn’t think of a better a way to do it.

“I also think sometimes we all get caught up in our specific roles within our own Company, whether it is Credit, Documentation, Accounting, and don’t take the time to realize the importance of all the other roles within an Equipment Finance Company. This certification really brings it all together.”

Mr. Seitz was one of seven individuals from BMO Harris Equipment Finance who attended the Academy for Lease & Finance Professionals in Chicago which they co-sponsored along with ECS Financial Services.

The CLFP designation identifies an individual as a knowledgeable professional to employers, clients, customers, and peers in the equipment finance industry. There are currently 444 active Certified Lease & Finance Professionals and Associates. For more information, call Executive Director Reid Raykovich, CLFP at (206) 535-6281 or visit http://www.CLFPfoundation.org.

Mentor Program
The Mentor Program was created to assist candidates preparing to take the CLFP Exam. The Program is voluntary and is offered at no additional cost to the candidate.

A candidate will be assigned a Mentor upon request following formal application and receipt of fee for the CLFP Exam. Candidates are matched with a mentor who is knowledgeable in areas of the Body of Knowledge of interest to the candidate. Or, the candidate may request a specific individual.

All Mentors hold the CLFP designation and will answer questions about the conduct of the exam, assist the candidate in understanding and interpreting areas of the Body of Knowledge, and generally provide intellectual, experiential and moral support.

Mentors are not instructors or tutors. The candidate is expected to learn the required material on his or her own by studying written materials, by taking available industry courses, and through industry work experience. Mentors will provide clarification and interpretation for subjects the candidate has already studied. For instance, the

Mentor will clarify Present Value Theory, but will not teach the Theory.

Why FinTech are struggling to turn a profit
and the hurdles they must overcome to see success

By Sarah Kocianski, Business Insider

Most FinTech, even the unicorns, aren't profitable.

Despite having innovative ideas and live products that are successfully disrupting the financial services industry, these FinTech business models are increasingly proving to be fundamentally flawed.

In a new report, BI Intelligence explores the reasons why FinTechs are struggling to turn a profit, providing examples of the unique problems each segment of FinTech faces. We also outline what some firms are doing to overcome these challenges, and highlight the key factors to be considered by FinTechs, and their investors, if they want to reach profitability.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

Even the largest FinTechs have failed to achieve meaningful profits. For example, British unicorns Transfer Wise and Funding Circle have seen ever-increasing losses since launch — in the latter's case to the tune of £37 million ($48 million) in its most recent filing.

The profitability question is becoming increasingly important. That's due to a combination of factors including declining VC investment in the sector and increasing pressure from existing investors to see returns.

Not all FinTechs want to turn a profit, but those that do are facing significant challenges. Obstacles to profitability affect all FinTech segments including neobanking, robo-advising, money transfer, and marketplace lending.

Forced to adapt their models, FinTechs are employing multiple tactics to reach profitability. These include partnerships, diversification of funding sources, acting as third-party suppliers to other firms, adding new products, and seeking global expansion.

There a number of considerations that FinTechs and their investors must make, and several actions they must take, to get on the path to profitability. These include deciding whether to focus on scale, establishing a stable business plan, and assessing the benefits of varied funding sources.

Reviewed on May 3rd, to get ahead of the 2017 series on Queen Elizabeth to begin November, 2017, it was suggested to view the first season 10 one-hour episodes available on Netflix. It appears the Netflix original has been given the seal of approval by the Crown herself, according to Metro.co.uk.

“…a royal source claimed that the monarch has watched all 10 episodes of the first series after being encouraged to so by her son and daughter-in-law, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, who arranged for Saturday night viewing sessions at Windsor castle.

“They have a Netflix account and urged her to watch it with them. Happily, she really liked it, although obviously there were some depictions of events that she found too heavily dramatised.”

1634 – The Massachusetts Bay colony annexed the Maine colony. Maine was a district of the state of Massachusetts until 1820.
1638 - Colonial clergyman Thomas Hooker, 51, first arrived at the site of New Haven, CT, having migrated there with his church members who repudiated the autocratic rule of Puritanism in Boston. Hooker, the founder of Connecticut, believed Boston had become corrupt, and that church authority should rest in the people's consent. School books present that many Europeans came to the US to escape religious prosecution, when in fact, while this is basically true, it was to foster their own religious views and they were quite prejudiced about anyone else's beliefs.
1790 - President George Washington signed the first US Copyright law. It gave protection for 14 years to books written by US Citizens. In 1891, the law was extended to cover books written by foreign authors as well.
1819 - Birthday of Walt Whitman (d. 1892), poet and journalist, born at West Hills, Long Island, NY. Whitman's best known work, “Leaves of Grass,” (1855) is a classic of American Poetry. His poems celebrated all of modern life, including subjects that were considered taboo at the time. Whitman wrote about the Civil War, living in a tent with other soldiers, and, perhaps not as well known, was his keen interest in baseball, of which he said, “I see great things in baseball. It's our game, the American game.” My favorite is “Oh, Captain, My Captain,” written about Abraham Lincoln and not knowing the Civil War had been won. http://www.bartleby.com/142/193.htmlhttp://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/whitman/http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/may31.html
1821 - The first Catholic cathedral in the U.S., The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was dedicated in Baltimore.
1830 - A tornado with a 400 yard wide track swept through Shelbyville, Kentucky. The tornado, which killed many people, was described in the "American Journal of Science."
1837 – The Astor Hotel opened in New York City. It later became the Waldorf-Astoria.
1859 – The Philadelphia Athletics organized to play "town ball," becoming baseball 20 years later.
1862 - The Confederates, led by General Joseph E. Johnston, defeated McClellan's Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Seven Pines (Fair Oaks, Virginia –the Battle called by Historians as Seven Pines and Fair Oaks). Although winning the battle and seeing General George B. McClellan's forces run, it turned out not to be a true victory, but became a stalling tactic by the Union. This was not McClellan's aim, (war historians consider him an idiot) but it did change the course of the fighting, plus opened the way for the Union to go after the prestige of the Confederate Capital of Richmond. This was the bloodiest battle of the war to date with 5,000 Federal casualties, and 6,000 Confederate casualties. With General Johnson seriously wounded at Fair Oaks, there was no one to take command and a dispute on his successor was solved the next day by Jefferson Davis. He surprised other generals by appointing Robert E. Lee as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia on June 1. General Johnston was a more experienced commander and was reportedly going to change the tactics. http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/HMore/battleof.htmhttp://home.att.net/~al_6th_inf/history_7_pines.htm http://home.att.net/~al_6th_inf/letters_doc.htm http://www.peninsulacampaign.org/7pines.shtml http://www.fireandfury.co.uk/sevenpinesUS.htmhttp://www.tennessee-scv.org/camp28/johnstonbio.html
1862 - Birthday of Cynthia May Westover Alden (d. 1931), Afton, IA. She founded an international society to aid the blind. While working as secretary to the N.Y. city commissioner of street cleaning she invented and patented an improved combination street cleaner's handcart and a self-cleaning dump cart. She began a custom of sending Christmas cards to shut-ins, and then began to send gifts. Through publicizing the need in her newspaper columns, the Sunshine Society was organized. At her death, the society that she headed for 31 years, had 500 local chapters in 38 states and 8 foreign nations and operated hospitals and homes for the blind and orphans, summer camps, lodges, facilities for working women, and other services.
1868 – The first Memorial Day parade was held in Ironton, OH.
1879 – Madison Square Garden opened. Formerly Gilmore Gardens, it was renamed by William H. Vanderbilt and opened to the public at 26th Street and Madison Ave.
1889 - Johnstown Flood, heavy rains caused the Connemaugh River Dam to burst. At nearby Johnstown, PA, the resulting flood, hit the city with a 75 foot wall high of water and a half a mile wide. The flood caused 2,205 deaths and destroyed the homes of thousands more, over $10 million at the time. Nearly 800 unidentified drowning victims were buried in a common grave at Johnstown's Grandview Cemetery. So devastating was the flood and so widespread the sorrow for its victims that “Johnstown Flood' entered the language as a phrase to describe a disastrous event. The dam had held back the waters of Connemaugh Lake, which was about 2.5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide, with an average depth of 50 feet. The valley city of Johnstown, in the Allegheny Mountains, has been damaged repeatedly by floods. Floods in 1936 (25 deaths) and 1977 (85 deaths) were the next most destructive.http://www.jaha.org/flood/
1894 – John W. Kellogg patented flaked cereal.
1894 – Fred Allen (d. 1956) was born John Florence Sullivan in Cambridge, MA. Allen was a comedian whose absurdist, topically-pointed radio program, “The Fred Allen Show” (1932–1949), made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the Golden Age of American Radio. His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it was only part of his appeal; radio historian John Dunning (in “On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio”) wrote that Allen was radio's most admired comedian and most frequently censored. A master ad libber, Allen often tangled with his network's executives (and often barbed them on the air over the battles) while developing routines whose style and substance influenced fellow comic talents, including Groucho Marx, Stan Freberg, Henry Morgan, and Johnny Carson; his avowed fans also included President Franklin Roosevelt, and novelists William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and Herman Wouk (who began his career writing for Allen). Allen was honored with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for contributions to television and radio.
1898 - Birthday of Norma Vincent Peale (d. 1993), American religious leader, at Bowersville, OH. He is best known for his book, “The Power of Positive Thinking,” (1952), which combines religion and psychiatry. He was a minister at the Marble Collegiate Church at New York, NY.http://www.marblechurch.org/http://cnview.com/on_line_resources/norman_vincent_peale_apostle_of_self_esteem.htm
1904 - Birthday of Otto Toby Hardwicke (d. 1970), Washington, DC. Duke Ellington's alto sax player for 18 years.http://www.centrohd.com/bio/bio21/otto.htmhttp://www.musicweb.uk.net/RiseandFall/eight.htm
1907 – Taxis first began running in NYC.
1908 - Guitarist/composer/arranger/band leader Gene Gifford (d. 1970) was born in Americus, GA. Perhaps best known for his arrangements for the Glenn Gray Casa Loma band which preceded the popularity of Benny Goodman, around 1935. He also had bands with very famous musicians, such as Bunny Berrigan, and was quite well known in music circles.http://mp3.cnet.com/Gene-Gifford/artists/149294/biography.htmlhttp://nfo.net/.WWW/g3.htmlhttp://nfo.net/.CAL/tt1.htmlhttp://user.tninet.se/~npt755v/bunny29.htmhttp://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?ean=78636661520
1909 - Formed in March, the National Negro Committee, to become the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, holds its first conference in New York City, NY. http://www.naacp.org
1912 - President William Howard Taft completes his Latin American-wide support of U.S. business interests, planning for the invasion in Cuba on June 5. The invasions are, in part, intended to buttress Taft's support about businessmen during an election year when Teddy Roosevelt is taking votes and support away as the Bull Moose candidate. Later in the convention, June 18-22 after Taft, through Elihu Root, seated his own delegates. Roosevelt was left out, so on June 22, Roosevelt announced the formation of the Progressive Party. June 25-July 2 the Democrats nominated Woodrow Wilson, who would go on to win the general election in November. Electoral votes: Wilson, 435; Roosevelt, 88; Taft 8. The popular vote: Wilson 6,293,454; Roosevelt, 4,119,538; incumbent Taft, 3,484,980; socialist Eugene V. Debs, 900,672; prohibition candidate Eugene W. Chafin, 206,275. http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/wt27.html
By the way, Taft was the only president to also serve on the US Supreme Court:http://encarta.msn.com/index/conciseindex/
0D/00DCF000.htm?z=1&pg=2&br=1
1921 - The Greenwood Massacre, Tulsa, OK. As one of the most successful and wealthiest black communities in the US during the early 20th Century, it was popularly known as America's "Black Wall Street" until the riot. White residents massacred black residents and razed the neighborhood within hours. The riot was one of the most devastating massacres in the history of U.S. race relations, destroying the once thriving Greenwood community. The mobs attempted to lynch a Black teenager accused of trying to kiss a white girl and when they failed to get the teenager out of jail, they leveled the entire Black neighborhood of Tulsa. As many as 300 Blacks were killed and the remaining Black Tulsans are forced to move to a state-run internment camp.http://rwor.org/a/v21/1040-049/1043/tulsa.htmhttp://www.africana.com/DailyArticles/index_20010719.htm
1922 - Vic Willis, 1/3 of the Willis Brothers country group, was born in Schulter, Oklahoma. The brothers backed Hank Williams on his first recordings and were associated with Eddy Arnold from 1949 to 1957. In the '60s, they had several hit singles, including one that made the top 10, "Give Me 40 Acres (To Turn This Rig Around)." The Willis Brothers were the first country act to play Constitution Hall in Washington, DC, primarily a venue for classical artists. Vic Willis died in a car crash in Hohenwald, Tennessee, on January 15th, 1995.
1924 - Birthday of Patricia Harris (d. 1985), Matton, IL. The first African-American woman to serve in an ambassadorial post, the first African American to hold a cabinet position (Secretary of Housing and Urban Development), and the first woman to serve as dean of a law school, Howard University Law School. In 1971, she became the first black woman appointed a director of a Fortune 500 company when she joined the board of IBM. http://www.triadntr.net/~rdavis/harris.htm
1925 – Ty Cobb hit his 275th triple, making him the first player ever with 1,000 extra-base hits. He finished his career with 1,136 extra-base hits, the all-time record until Babe Ruth passed him in 1931. Henry Aaron holds the record with 1477 extra-base hits in his career.
1927 - Birthday of sax player Red Holloway (d. 2012), Helena, AR. http://www.52ndstreet.com/reviews/mainstream/holloway_sro.htmlhttp://www.artistdirect.com/music/artist/card/0,,445018,00.html
1929 - The first talking Mickey Mouse cartoon, "The Karnival Kid," was released.
1930 - Birthday of actor/director/musician Clint Eastwood, San Francisco, Ca. He began his acting career at “Rawhide,” playing “Rowdy Yates.” My father, Lawrence Menkin, was the story editor, wrote many of the episodes, and kept giving Clint Eastwood larger roles, of which the main star was not in favor. My father said the ladies loved Eastwood and he had a way of stealing the scene, even without saying a wood. Spaghetti Westerns and Dirty Harry propelled him into the position of acting, directing, producing some excellent and memorable motion pictures. Along the way he built a country club-golf course and was mayor of Carmel, CA (1986-88) and has won numerous Academy Awards as actor and director.http://www.clinteastwood.net/
1935 - Birthday of drummer Albert Heath, Philadelphia, PA http://ubl.artistdirect.com/music/artist/card/0,,442622,00.html
1935 - Babe Ruth of the Boston Braves grounded out in his final major league at-bat against pitcher Jim Bivin of the Philadelphia Phillies.
1937 - Birthday of drummer Louis Hayes, Detroit, MI http://www.jazzcorner.com/hayes/http://www.jazzcanadiana.on.ca/_HAYES.htm
1937 - The Brooklyn Dodgers defeated pitcher Carl Hubbell and the New York Giants, 10-3, snapping Hubbell's winning streak at 24 games, a major-league record. Hubbell's previous defeat had occurred on July 13, 1936. He finished that year with 16 straight wins and won 8 more in 1937 before losing to the Dodgers.
1938 - Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary, the most popular of the early 1960's folk groups, was born in Manhattan. They were the first to bring commercial success to Bob Dylan, covering his "Blowin' in the Wind" and taking it to number two in 1963. Peter, Paul and Mary broke up in 1970, but reunited several times in the next two decades. Peter Yarrow served a three-month jail term in 1970 after pleading guilty to taking immoral liberties with a 14-year-old girl. He was pardoned by President Jimmy Carter in 1981.
1941 - Thunderstorms over Eastern Kansas deluged the town of Burlington with 12.59 inches of rain to establish a 24 hour rainfall record for the state.
1941 - Birthday of singer Johnny Paycheck, born Donald Eugene Lytle (d. 2003), Greenfield, OH. A country music singer, multi-instrumentalist and Grand Ole Opry member, he is most famous for recording the song "Take This job and Shove It."http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/country/artistdb/paycheckjohnny.shtmlhttp://www.biography.com/cgi-bin/frameit.cgi?p=http%3A//www.biography.com/
magazine/biomag/paycheck.html
1943 - Birthday of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, former sportscaster, actor, Joseph William “Joe” Namath, born Beaver Falls, PA. Namath is forever remembered for guaranteeing the Jets’ Super Bowl III victory over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts as 18 point underdogs. It was the first Super Bowl win for the American Football League and is recognized as an impetus for the eventual merger into the NFL in 1970. Despite being elected into the Pro Football hall of Fame, Namath’s record, including postseason was 68-71-4. In his career he threw 173 touchdowns and 220 interceptions, and completed 1,886 passes for 27,663 yards. http://ww1.sportsline.com/u/fans/celebrity/namath/index.html
1945 - CRAFT, CLARENCE B., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Private, First Class, U.S. Army, Company G, 382d Infantry, 96th Infantry Division. Place and date: Hen Hill, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 31 May 1945. Entered service at: Santa Ana, Calif. Birth: San Bernardino, Calif. G.O. No.: 97, 1 November 1945. Citation: He was a rifleman when his platoon spearheaded an attack on Hen Hill, the tactical position on which the entire Naha-Shuri-Yonaburu line of Japanese defense on Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, was hinged. For 12 days our forces had been stalled, and repeated, heavy assaults by 1 battalion and then another had been thrown back by the enemy with serious casualties. With 5 comrades, Pfc. Craft was dispatched in advance of Company G to feel out the enemy resistance. The group had proceeded only a short distance up the slope when rifle and machinegun fire, coupled with a terrific barrage of grenades, wounded 3 and pinned down the others. Against odds that appeared suicidal, Pfc. Craft launched a remarkable 1-man attack. He stood up in full view of the enemy and began shooting with deadly marksmanship wherever he saw a hostile movement. He steadily advanced up the hill, killing Japanese soldiers with rapid fire, driving others to cover in their strongly disposed trenches, unhesitatingly facing alone the strength that had previously beaten back attacks in battalion strength. He reached the crest of the hill, where he stood silhouetted against the sky while quickly throwing grenades at extremely short range into the enemy positions. His extraordinary assault lifted the pressure from his company for the moment, allowing members of his platoon to comply with his motions to advance and pass him more grenades. With a chain of his comrades supplying him while he stood atop the hill, he furiously hurled a total of 2 cases of grenades into a main trench and other positions on the reverse slope of Hen Hill, meanwhile directing the aim of his fellow soldiers who threw grenades from the slope below him. He left his position, where grenades from both sides were passing over his head and bursting on either slope, to attack the main enemy trench as confusion and panic seized the defenders. Straddling the excavation, he pumped rifle fire into the Japanese at pointblank range, killing many and causing the others to flee down the trench. Pursuing them, he came upon a heavy machinegun which was still creating havoc in the American ranks. With rifle fire and a grenade he wiped out this position. By this time the Japanese were in complete rout and American forces were swarming over the hill. Pfc. Craft continued down the central trench to the mouth of a cave where many of the enemy had taken cover. A satchel charge was brought to him, and he tossed it into the cave. It failed to explode. With great daring, the intrepid fighter retrieved the charge from the cave, re-lighted the fuse and threw it back, sealing up the Japs in a tomb. In the local action, against tremendously superior forces heavily armed with rifles, machineguns, mortars, and grenades, Pfc. Craft killed at least 25 of the enemy; but his contribution to the campaign on Okinawa was of much more far-reaching consequence for Hen Hill was the key to the entire defense line, which rapidly crumbled after his utterly fearless and heroic attack.
1945 - SMITH, FURMAN L., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, 135th Infantry, 34th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Lanuvio, Italy, 31 May 1944. Entered service at: Central, S.C. Birth: Six Miles, S.C. G.O. No.: 6, 24 January 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. In its attack on a strong point, an infantry company was held up by intense enemy fire. The group to which Pvt. Smith belonged was far in the lead when attacked by a force of 80 Germans. The squad leader and 1 other man were seriously wounded and other members of the group withdrew to the company position, but Pvt. Smith refused to leave his wounded comrades. He placed them in the shelter of shell craters and then alone faced a strong enemy counterattack, temporarily checking it by his accurate rifle fire at close range, killing and wounding many of the foes. Against overwhelming odds, he stood his ground until shot down and killed, rifle in hand.
1948 - John Bonham, drummer with Led Zeppelin, was born in Redditch, England. Led Zeppelin, formed by guitarist Jimmy Page after the demise of the Yardbirds, became the world's premier heavy-metal band in the 1970's. Zeppelin songs, such as "Whole Lotta Love" and "Stairway to Heaven," are still played heavily on radio. Keith Moon, drummer with the Who, is said to have been responsible for naming the band - he said they would go over like a lead balloon. Zeppelin's first album went top-ten in 1969, and their second topped the charts within two months of its release. After that, each of their albums sold a million copies. By 1975, their album and concert ticket sales had made Led Zeppelin the most popular rock band in the world. Their final album was in 1979. A year later, John Bonham died at Jimmy Page's home in Windsor, England.
1951 - Top Hits
“On Top of Old Smokey” - The Weavers (vocal: Terry Gilkyson)
“Too Young” - Nat King Cole
“Mockingbird Hill” - Patti Page
“I Want to Be with You Always” - Lefty Frizzell
1951 - HERNANDEZ, RODOLFO P., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company G, 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team. Place and date: Near Wontong-ni, Korea, 31 May 1951. Entered service at: Fowler, Calif. Born: 14 April 1931, Colton, Calif. G.O. No.: 40, 21 April 1962. Citation: Cpl. Hernandez, a member of Company G, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. His platoon, in defensive positions on Hill 420, came under ruthless attack by a numerically superior and fanatical hostile force, accompanied by heavy artillery, mortar, and machine gun fire which inflicted numerous casualties on the platoon. His comrades were forced to withdraw due to lack of ammunition but Cpl. Hernandez, although wounded in an exchange of grenades, continued to deliver deadly fire into the ranks of the onrushing assailants until a ruptured cartridge rendered his rifle inoperative. Immediately leaving his position, Cpl. Hernandez rushed the enemy armed only with rifle and bayonet. Fearlessly engaging the foe, he killed 6 of the enemy before falling unconscious from grenade, bayonet, and bullet wounds but his heroic action momentarily halted the enemy advance and enabled his unit to counterattack and retake the lost ground. The indomitable fighting spirit, outstanding courage, and tenacious devotion to duty clearly demonstrated by Cpl. Hernandez reflect the highest credit upon himself, the infantry, and the U.S. Army.
1956 - Buddy Holly sees the John Wayne movie “The Searchers” and gains some song writing inspiration when Wayne utters the line "that'll be the day."
1957 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Love Letters in the Sand," Pat Boone.
1957 – “Do you believe in miracles?” US Olympic goalie Jim Craig was born in N. Easton, MA. Craig and his teammates scored everlasting fame by defeating the heavily-favored Russian hockey team in the 1980 Winter Olympics before going on to capture the gold medal by defeating the Finland in the final. Craig is employed as a motivational speaker, spokesperson, marketing and sales strategist. Over the past 25 years, Jim has provided strategic direction for employees and associates from more than 300 organizations.
1958 - Guitarist Dick Dale performed his new song, "Let's Go Trippin'," at Balboa, California's Rendezvous Ballroom, a moment generally considered the birth of the surf music genre.
1959 - Top Hits
“Kansas City” - Wilbert Harrison
“Dream Lover” - Bobby Darin
“Personality” - Lloyd Price
“The Battle of New Orleans” - Johnny Horton
1961 - A severe freeze caused heavy crop damage in New England. Burlington, Vermont reported a low reading of 25 degrees.
1961 - Chuck Berry opened his Berry Park, an outdoor amusement complex in Wentzville, Missouri, near St. Louis. It included a miniature golf course, rides and a children's zoo.
1961 – Otherwise completely unknown in the annals of Major League Baseball, the Boston Red Sox’s Carroll Hardy pinch-hit for Carl Yastrzemski, and bunted for a base hit. Hardy is the only person to have pinch-hit for Yaz and Ted Williams.
1962 - "Tell It to Groucho", TV Game Show; last aired on CBS.
1964 - The New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants played the longest doubleheader by time in major league history, the two games consuming nine hours, 52 minutes. The Giants won the first game in ordinary fashion, Juan Marichal beating the Mets, 5-3, in nine innings. But the second game went 23 innings and lasted 7:23 ( a National League record) before the Giants emerged victorious, 8-6, on run-scoring hits by Del Crandall and Felipe Alou, 57,037 fans were on hand when the day began.
1965 - The Dave Clark Five make their first appearance on CBS-TV's Ed Sullivan Show, performing "Glad All Over." Ed likes the clean-cut boys so much he has them on 18 more times over the course of the show's life, more than any other rock band.
1967 - Top Hits
“Groovin'” - The Young Rascals
“Respect” - Aretha Franklin
“I Got Rhythm” - The Happenings
“Sam's Place” - Buck Owens
1969 - Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" was released by Tamla Records. The song made it to number four on the pop music charts on July 26 and stayed on the nation's radios for eleven weeks. Trivia: "My Cherie Amour" was not the original title of the song. Wonder had named the song, "Oh My Marcia", for a former girlfriend. Of course, singing it back with the original tune, one could see that "Oh My Marcia" doesn't quite fit as well as "My Cherie Amour".
1971 - In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by Congress in 1968, observation of Memorial Day occurred on the last Monday in May for the first time, rather than on the traditional May 30.
1972 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "I'll Take You There," The Staple Singers.
1974 - William DeVaughn, a soul singer, songwriter and guitarist from Washington, DC, received a gold record for his only hit, "Be Thankful for What You Got". The tune made it to number four on the pop music charts (6/29/74). Ever hear the phrase, “Don't give up the day job?” This was quite applicable to DeVaughn, who was never heard musically again. His day job was working for the federal government.
1975 - Top Hits
“Before the Next Teardrop Falls” - Freddy Fender
“How Long” - Ace
“Sister Golden Hair” - America
“Thank God I'm a Country Boy” - John Denver
1977 – The Trans-Alaska pipeline was completed.
1979 - Supertramp perform at New York's Madison Square Garden, where they receive a Gold record for their million selling album "Breakfast In America".
1980 - Although the Disco craze was running out of steam, a group from Minneapolis, Minnesota called Lipps, Inc., that featured Cynthia Johnson on vocals, reached the top of the US charts with a tune called "Funkytown".
1983 - Albany, New York experienced its wettest spring (March-May) in 109 years of records. 19.54 inches of precipitation was recorded.
1983 – American League president Lee MacPhail suspended Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for one week, citing "repeated problems" with the outspoken owner's public criticism of umpires. Steinbrenner, who was fined $50,000 by Commissioner Kuhn during spring training for berating some NL umps, cannot attend games or be in his Yankee Stadium office during the suspension.
1983 - Top Hits
“Flashdance...What a Feeling” - Irene Cara
“Overkill” - Men At Work
“Time (Clock of the Heart)” - Culture Club
“You Take Me for Granted” - Merle Haggard
1985 - New Orleans Saints are sold for $70,204,000
1985 - A vicious tornado outbreak struck southern Ontario, Central and Eastern Ohio, Western and Central Pennsylvania, and Western New York. 42 tornadoes ripped through the area. 88 people were killed and total damage was over $200 million. 8 of the tornadoes were rated F4 on the Fujita scale. The tornado that devastated Niles, Ohio was classified as F5 (Winds above 260 Mph). A huge f4 tornado had a 69-mile path length in central Pennsylvania, mostly through Moshannon State Forest. An estimated 88,000 trees were destroyed as the tornado's path width reached 2.2 miles at one point.
1986 - The Weather Service Office in Washington, DC reported its driest spring on record with only 3.47 inches of precipitation from March 1st to May 31st.
1987 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "You Keep Me Hangin' On," Kim Wilde.
1990 - "Seinfield" premiered on television in 1990 and ended with the 1997-1998 season. While acclaimed the show was about "nothing," it really centered around the lives and exploits of its four main characters whose storyline intertwined for some very surprising plot twists over simple matters such as valet parking, annoying dogs, trip to India, where the show's sequence runs backwards ("The Betrayal"), yadda yadda yadda, and waiting for Chinese food or buying soup. Comedian Jerry Seinfield used his stand-up routines as an introduction to the show. In the earlier days, the routines were longer and it took some time for the show to “catch on.” The cast featured Seinfeld as himself; July Louis-Dreyfus as he ex-girlfriend, Elaine Benese; Jason Alexander as his best friend, George Costanaza, who worked for George Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees; Wayne Knight as Newman, a fat neighbor, mailman, who always caused problems; and Michael Richards as his neighbor, Cosmo Kramer, who came in and out of rooms very fast. Most of this was based on Seinfield's real friends (there was a Cosmo Kramer). The last episode was on May 14, 1998 with the four main characters in jail after several episodes of their trail with testimony from many of the characters in earlier episodes.http://www.cgocable.net/~dchristi/http://www.famousfotos.com/seinfield.htmlhttp://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/3583/ http://www.surveyitup.com/survey/poll_vote.asp?pollid=145
1991 - Top Hits
“I Don't Wanna Cry” - Mariah Carey
“More Than Words” - Extreme
“I Wanna Sex You Up” - Color Me Badd
“In a Different Light” - Doug Stone
1991 - Norfolk, Virginia hit 100 degrees. This set a new all-time record high for the month of May.
1997 - Ila Borders is unique among women. She is also unique in baseball. Her jersey hangs in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. honoring her as the first woman to play men's pro baseball; the only woman on the roster of a male professional baseball team. In 1993, she became the first woman to be awarded a college baseball scholarship at the southern California College of Costa Mesa. She debuted in a minor league team May 31, 1997
1999 - "Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace" in its 13th day of release grossed past the $200 million mark in a record pace.
1996 - The College Football Association (CFA), an organization and lobbying group that broke the NCAA's power to negotiate college football television contracts on an exclusive basis, voted itself out of existence. The CFA began in 1977 and ceased to exist on June 30, 1997.
2000 - “Survivor” premiered on TV. On this strangely immensely popular “reality TV” show, 16 people were sequestered on a deserted island in Malaysia for 39 days. They competed for the right to remain on the island, with the final survivor wining $1,000,000. Hosted by Jeff Probst, the show drew a total audience of 51 million people. On January 28, 2001, another group of “Survivor” contestants began their stay in the Australian outback.
2001 - The Red Sox finally beat the Yankees in their eighth attempt, and for the first time in over a year since Pedro Martinez scoffed at the 'Curse.' The right-hander was 7-1 with a 1.44 ERA when he said, "Wake up the Bambino and let me face him -- I'll drill him in the %#$." After the comment, he managed only seven more winless starts, making it first time he did not win in seven straight starts since the first seven major league appearances as a rookie with the Dodgers.
2001 - After 25 years in the organization, manager Felipe Alou, 66, is fired by the Expos, and replaced by Jeff Torborg, an old friend of owner Jeffrey Loria. The former Montreal skipper is the winningest manager in franchise history compiling a 691-717 record during his nine-year tenure. In November, 2002, he was named manager of the San Francisco Giants. http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/A/Alou_Felipe.stm http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2002/1113/1460334.html
2005 - Strawberry Field (no s), the Liverpool orphanage which inspired the Beatles' famous song, is closed by the Salvation Army after almost seventy years.
2005 - Watergate figure ‘Deep Throat’ was revealed to be W. Mark Felt, a former F.B.I agent. Felt was the secret informant who provided information to Washington Post writers Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in 1972 about the involvement of President Richard Nixon's administration in Watergate. For more than 30 years, the identity of Deep Throat was one of the biggest mysteries of American politics and journalism and the source of much public curiosity and speculation. Woodward and Bernstein insisted they would not reveal his identity until he died or consented to have his identity revealed. “Vanity fair” magazine revealed that Felt was Deep Throat, when it published an article (eventually appearing in the July issue) on its website by John D. O'Connor, an attorney acting on Felt's behalf, in which Felt reportedly said, "I'm the guy they used to call Deep Throat." Despite several contradictions from several sources, Woodward and Bernstein put an end to the speculation when they confirmed Felt’s revelation.
2011 - After scientists reviewed studies on cell phone safety, the World Health Organization classified cell phone radiation as a carcinogenic hazard, possibly carcinogenic to humans.
2015 – Parts of the Patriot Act, passed as a response to the 9/11 attacks, including authorization of bulk phone data collection by the National Security Administration, expired due to lack of agreement in the Senate regarding extension